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Renshent Keeill

Archaeology

The site of an Early Medieval chapel or keeill and burial ground thought to date to the period AD 500-1000.   Considerable remains of the keeill are visible although its present appearance dates largely from the clearing and partial reconstruction undertaken by the Inspector of Ancient Monuments, G.J.H. Neely, in 1935, when fallen stones and floor material were used to rebuild the 'robbed' walls.  The walling of the keeill on its internal face is one course only except for a short length of east wall which is three courses high.  The west end is ill-defined, apparently devoid of stones, but the opening may represent the position of the original doorway. The remains of the chapel are orientated northeast to southwest and consist of turf covered dry-stone walls with internal measurements of 5.1 metres x 2.4 metres.  The walls have a maximum internal height of 1.5 metres, average external height of 0.6 metres and are 0.8 metres wide.  A slight shelf in the east may indicate the remains of the altar.  A broken down entrance 1.1 metres wide is in the west.  


Externally, very few stones are to be seen in the banking. No trace of the burial-ground embankment (shown on OS 1:2500 mapping of 1868) can now be seen, and the farmer asserted that he had never ploughed up graves there.  Two stones outside of the keeill may be associated with it, and a third in the hedge-bank to the NW may have been a tethering stone.


The above description is largely derived from J.R. Bruce's detailed record published in 1968.  In recent years the current landowner has cleared vegetation from the site and now maintains it in this condition.  The surrounding enclosure is now more obviously defined by a series of modern marker boulders, and part of the later field boundary has been removed to make the site more easily discernible.

Connections

Book Chapters

  • Parish: Malew
  • Sheading: Rushen
  • Grid Ref: SC2972476998

Sources

  • Isle of Man Heritage Environment Record
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